The Project
by Ooiiuuuyy
Summary: When a 5th grader named Mikyala has to work with the biggest brat in school watch her world turn upside down! This story was NOT written by me it was written by my friend Maggie
1. Picking Partners

Ok people, I just want to point out that this was not made by me in anyway and that my friend Maggie wrote it. So she told me to post it cause she doesn't have an account on here.

_**The Project**_

By: Maggie

"Go on, Mikayla," My fifth-grade teacher, Mrs. Brown, told me. "Pick one."

I reached into the teacher's New York Yankees baseball cap. I pulled out a slip of paper. Slowly, I unfolded it, just to see that my bad luck had come yet again. It said: Tammy Johnson.

We were picking our partners for our projects about a state of our choice.

"I want each of you to write a report, and decorate a poster, about one of our fifty states." Mrs. Brown told the class after everyone had a partner. "Today is April 17th. You have until May 1st to have them done. Class dismissed."

I seriously could not believe my bad luck. Tammy Johnson? I would rather be paired with Ben Jones, the freak who wants to marry Hello-Kitty.

Tammy Johnson is a brat, who is obsessed with the fact that her family is rich. Her mother owns "Daisy's Dresses", a store in the mall that sells ridiculously overpriced gowns.

Her father owns "Peter's Pool". You have to have a membership card to get in, and they only give cards to certain people.

Tammy has long, blonde hair and blue eyes. She has perfectly straight teeth, and a bright smile. Other than just being obsessed with being rich, she is also obsessed with her appearance. She has poor grades and is always playing pranks on people.

As I was walking to the bus with my best friend, Amy Spencer, Tammy caught up with us. She shoved Amy aside. Tammy opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, we heard a thud. Tammy turned around, gave a fake gasp, and turned back to me.

Everyone was shocked at her. Even I was. Tammy Johnson obviously does not know her own strength. If she does, I know that she wouldn't have purposely shoved Amy right into a bus. I ran over to help Amy up. When she was back on her feet, I got a teacher. Amy seemed very dizzy. I noticed that some of the buses were pulling away. I grabbed Tammy, and we ran to my bus before it left without us.

_So there you go! That's the first chappy! What did you think? Please review!


	2. A Day with Tammy

_**Chapter 2: A Day with Tammy**_

When Tammy and I got to my house, my mother was cutting apples for a snack.

"How was your day?" Mom asked, as she handed each of us a plate of apple slices and a cup of milk.

"It was alright, I guess." I answered, looking at Tammy, just as I said 'I guess'.

"My day was fantastic!" Tammy took her turn. "Everyone loved my new sparkle flats, and Mickey here just couldn't shut up about how much she loved my new plaid mini skirt. Isn't that right, Mickey?"

"Um, my name is Mikayla." I said, ignoring her question.

"Well, Mickey is your new nickname." Tammy declared.

"Well, I want to be called Mikayla." I argued.

"Mickey!"

"Mikayla!"

"Mickey!"

"GIRLS!" Mom ended our argument. "Tammy," She looked at my partner. "You are to call her Mikayla." Now she was looking at me. "As for you, Mikayla, you are to call her Tammy. Are we clear?"

Both of us nodded, as we sipped milk.

"Finish up your snack, and get started on your project. I have to pick up Kyle from school. If you have any problems, Paige, Claire, Zack, and Ashley are upstairs." Mom told us.

She walked to the garage and started the car. She was gone.

"What was that all about?" asked 14-year-old Paige as she walked downstairs.

"It's a long story." I said. "Kind of,"

"Whatever. Hey could you go get Ashley from her crib and bring her down?" Paige asked.

"Sure," I replied, and walked away.

Moments later, I returned to the kitchen with my baby sister in my arms. I handed her to Paige, who was in charge.

"Well, we better start, Tammy." I decided to take charge, since Tammy obviously wouldn't. "I say we do Delaware."

"Oh, sorry, but that isn't going to happen!" Tammy snickered. "I chose for us. We're doing Maryland."

"Um, Tammy," I hesitated at saying this. "We both have to agree."

"Um, Mickey, let's get to work!" The little snot started giving orders. "Mickey, turn on the computer and Google Maryland."

"Tammy, did you not hear my mother?" I asked. "You're supposed to call me Mikayla."

Tammy ignored this. We walked upstairs to my bedroom and turned on the computer. I opened up the Internet and typed in: .com.

"I told you Google!" Tammy shouted at me.

"I'm not allowed on Google, only ." I replied, trying to stay calm.

"Get to work!" Tammy was out of control.

"You're supposed to help!" I yelled.

"I never help!" She sat down in my beanbag chair and pulled a small bag of popcorn from her pocket. Tammy slowly munched. I kept typing.

"Are you almost done?" Tammy complained, which I realized, was something she was good at doing.

I looked at the clock, and it hadn't even been a minute.

"Tammy, I just started!" I cried.

"Can't you go faster?"

"I could if you'd help!"

"Well, that's not going to happen!"

"Then maybe you should just leave!" I was getting impatient.

Tammy looked stunned. "You'll regret that Mickey!" She shouted as she slammed the door.

I remember a time when we were in preschool, when something like that happened. Our teacher, Miss Michelle, asked Tammy to recite the alphabet, because we had been learning it for almost a month. She had been reciting for almost ten minutes and was only on "E".

"Are you almost done?" A girl named Caitlin asked.

"I just started!" Tammy screamed.

"Can't you go faster?" I asked.

"I could if someone," She looked at Miss Michelle. "helped me!" .

"Just continue," Miss Michelle said.

"Well, that's not going to happen!" Tammy exclaimed.

"Then you might as well leave." Miss Michelle was trying to stay calm.

"NO!" Tammy screeched, and then burst into tears. She started a major temper tantrum. She threw sets of paints, papers, pencils, anything that was light enough for a 3-year-old to pick up. Tables were knocked over, chairs were kicked, and then it all stopped. No one saw Tammy, and no one knew where she was. Miss Michelle ordered us to hide in the huge supply closet.

When we got there and closed the door, Miss Michelle turned a light on. Tammy was already there, and she screamed at us. She ran outside, across the playground, through the parking lot, and all the way home. Cooperative Preschool had never seen such a mess. That was how everyone got to hate Tammy Johnson.


	3. Pranks and Payback

**Chapter 3: Pranks and Pay-back**

The next day, Tammy showed up at school wearing her pink sparkle slats, an ugly pink hair band, a yellow and pink polka-dot blouse, and a pair of pink jean shorts.

She gave me a disgusted look when she saw my outfit: a red t-shirt, a jean skort, and white sneakers. My hair was pulled back into a long ponytail.

"What's up with the outfit?" She asked me, trying not to laugh.

"Why are you all dressed up?" I asked back.

"Why _aren't_ you all dressed up?"

"I asked you first!" I yelled, knowing that I really didn't start the whole question thing.

"First is the worst, second is the best!" Laughed Tammy.

Now it was my turn to snicker. "Wow Tammy, that was pathetic!"

"Whatever," Tammy said, and walked away.

Our school is a circle. If you start at my classroom, for example, walk part the office, library, and all the other classrooms, without turning around, you'd end up back at my classroom!

Which was how Tammy pulled a horrible joke on me. She turned the corner after she walked away from me. I was about to go to class, when Amy started talking to me. We started talking about how immature Tammy is.

"She needs to grow up," Amy said.

"Or take anger management classes, at least!" We giggled at my joke.

"It would be really funny if-" I stopped mid-sentence when I felt something wet and gooey being poured on me. A bucket was then placed upon my head, as though it were a hat.

Amy gasped.

I turned around to see Tammy and her friend, Kathy, smirking. I glared, trying to look really disgusted, because I was. They had poured blue paint on my head!

Most of all, I was mad. I was so angry, I did something I didn't think I had the guts to do.

I remembered all the ridiculous things Tammy had done, not only to me, but to my friends as well. I rammed my fist into her nose with all of my might.

When I pulled my hand away, my fist still clenched, I realized what I had done.

Something just came over me. I couldn't stand Tammy treating everyone like dogs. I couldn't take it anymore. I wished I could take it all back.

By that point, Tammy had started bawling.

"Oh my gosh!" I yelled, feeling so guilty. "I am so sorry!"

"Sh-sh-ut u-u-up!" She managed to say between sobs.

Kathy ran inside and got Mrs. Brown.

"MIKAYLA!" She yelled louder than any other teacher I had heard before. "TO THE OFFICE, NOW!'

As I headed down the hall, I felt ashamed of myself.


	4. Dealing with the Principal

**Chapter 4: Dealing with the Principal**

"You _should _be ashamed!" Miss Clermont yelled at me. She was the principal, and she had been lecturing me for the past twenty minutes.

Not that I was actually paying attention. Instead of listening to her babble, I scanned her office. I had never been there before. It felt…unsafe.

"MIKAYLA FRANKLIN!" The angry principal groaned. "Are you listening to a word I'm saying?"

I sighed, knowing better than to lie. I shook my head.

"That is the last straw!" I was surprised Miss Clermont didn't lose her voice. "You are suspended for the next week! Go call home!"

She was so loud!

Anyways, Tammy had to go home, because, as it turns out, I broke her nose.

Mom was even more mad. She sent me to my room, where I fell asleep. I had an awkward dream where I was beating up Tammy, and she was crying like a baby, and she called the police.

_I _felt like crying.


	5. A Little Surprise for a Big Brat

**Chapter 5: A Little Surprise for a Big Brat**

Dinner that night was quiet. I barely touched my food.

"Mikayla," Mom said calmly. "I know it was an accident."

"How can I make things better?" I asked, blinking back tears.

"Why don't you start by riding your bike over to the Johnson's house tomorrow and apologize?" Mom suggested. "Maybe even give her a little present."

"Anything but that!" I begged as tears rolled down my cheeks. How could she do that to me? Does she hate me or something?

"If you want to make things better-" Mom started.

"I do!" I interrupted. "But isn't there some other way?" I was desperate. It wasn't like Tammy was going to forgive me anyways. "I already apologized."

"It won't hurt to say it again." Mom urged.

"It will hurt _me_!" I pleaded.

"You know, the phrase 'I'm Sorry' is one of the hardest things to say." Paige defended me.

"Oh, Mikayla…" Mom ignored Paige.

"Do I have to?" I asked hopefully.

"Yes," She replied, picking up a piece of chicken with her fork.

"What if they're not home?"

Claire, my 13-year-old sister, rolled her eyes. "Oh, just give it up, Mikayla!"

"Seriously! You know she's just going to make you do it either way!" 17-year-old Zack said.

"Yeah!" Kyle chimed in.

I noticed that Paige didn't say anything.

"Whatever," I yelled and ran upstairs, leaving my chicken meal for someone else to have.

"Mikayla, wait!" Paige called. She was running up after me. "I'm going to help you!" We went into my room. "I hate the brat, too."

"Why?" I just had to know.

"UGH!" Paige groaned. "You two were the best of friends when you were three!"

"We were?"

"Yeah! And you'd always pull stunts on me! You'd wreck my toys, trash my room, and paint all over the clothes in my closet." Paige complained.

"Wow!" I was truly shocked.

"You're my sister, so I had to forgive you. But her…UGH!" Paige fell back on my bed.

"So, what are we going to do?" I was curious.

"Well, this Tammy girl is always home alone from one to five on Saturdays."

"She is?" Don't you find it sort of stalker-ish that she knows this?

"Yes, an we're going to prank her,"

"How?"

"I'm not sure yet," Paige explained to me.

"Won't Tammy know it's us?" I realized that this plan had a lot of problems. "She'll call mom."  
"Well," Paige was thinking. "We'll go in disguise!" It was a cheesy plan, but it was bound to work.

"Alright," I agreed. "I'm in." I was ready for real payback, payback that hopefully wouldn't get me in trouble.

So the next day at noon, Paige and I rode our bikes to the costume store downtown. We were there for hours, trying on cool outfits and stylish wigs.

After what seemed like days, I had ended up buying a short, black wig, a frilly pink dress, a pair of square, brown glasses, and a ton of makeup. I had totally transformed.

Once Paige was ready, and after we had checked out, we hopped back on our bikes, and journeyed back to our neighborhood, to Tammy's house, each of us lugging big purple buckets.

My bucket was filled with thick, brown mud, with fat worms mixed in. Paige's bucket was filled with tar, and she was carrying a bag of fresh-picked chicken feathers.

Paige and I made it to Tammy's house around two o' clock. We walked up the front porch, and I rang the doorbell.

"This is it," Paige said, and took a deep breath.

"Let's do this!" I yelled. I was pumped!

Tammy answered the door. Paige started the prank by dumping the gooey tar over Tammy's head. The black goop was all over her. I could tell that Tammy's outfit was new, but now it was ruined.

I really wanted my turn! Tammy was moaning and groaning, and it was just too funny!

Just as I lifted my bucket, I noticed something. I was alone. I turned around and saw my sister pedaling down the street.

My jaw dropped. Paige hadn't even tossed the chicken feathers yet, and she was off. I couldn't believe her.

I knew Tammy was staring at me, and I was just standing there. So I grabbed my mud-filled bucket, only accidentally spilling a little bit on my own feet, and splashed Tammy. She screamed with a very annoying, high-pitched voice.

I ran to my house as fast as I could, and I didn't stop 'till I was there.

I went inside and slammed the door as hard as I could. "Where were you?" I asked Paige, though I already knew.

Paige, ignoring my question, said: "Where's your bike?" She looked at me like I was crazy.

Then, I realized, I had left it at Tammy's house. We were in huge trouble.

Or, at least, I was.


	6. Busted

_**Chapter 6: Busted**_

The next day was Sunday. I felt so guilty. First, I break her nose, then I let my sister talk me into dumping tar and mud and worms on her. What was wrong with me?

None of this ever would have happened if it weren't for Mrs. Brown and her stupid projects.

Anyways, that morning, we had gone to church. When we returned home, I was asked to watch Ashley.

Mom had been on the phone almost all morning after church. Finally, she hung up.

"MIKAYLA NATALIE FRANKLIN!" She called. "GET IN HERE!" I walked into the kitchen, very slowly, and carefully pulled a chair over and sat down.

"That was Mrs. Johnson on the phone," Dad informed me. "You were supposed to apologize!"

"What's the story?" Mom screamed. "And I want the truth!" She demanded.

"Well," I started. "P-Paige," I stuttered.

"Don't drag me into this!" Paige had challenged what I had said.

"_You_ were part of this!" I protested. "It was _your_ idea to play a prank, it was _your_ idea to dress up, it was _your_ idea to dump stuff on her, and it was _your_ idea to leave me there alone."

Paige looked defeated. But she had a comeback. "It's not my problem that you decided to go along with it!" She smirked. "No one made you!"

I was just…hurt. I can't even describe it. She got me into the whole mess. I should've just apologized to Tammy like I was supposed to. I will never again listen to a single word that Paige Franklin had to say. She was a traitor.

I swear, there was steam coming out of my mom's ears. "You are obviously too immature to go over to a friend's house and simply apologize to her."

Was she crazy? "We're not friends!" I exclaimed rather loudly.

Mom ignored me. "You and I are going over there tomorrow, and your are going to give her an 'I'm Sorry' basket, and apologize."

"She has school tomorrow," I shot back.

"Mrs. Johnson says she's not going."

"_I_ have school tomorrow."

"You're suspended, remember?"

"It'll be really embarrassing!" I was thinking of as many excuses as I could.

"I really don't care!" Mom yelled, fed up.

"Yeah!" Paige snickered.

"Stay out of this, Paige!" I exclaimed.

"Make me!"

"Traitor!" I screamed.  
"Nose breaker!"

Mom glared. "Go to your room, Mikayla."

I rolled my eyes and stormed upstairs.


	7. Being Brave

_**Chapter 7: Being Brave**_

"Be brave!" Amy told me that night on the phone. I wasn't actually supposed to be on the phone, since I was grounded, I was really disgusted, and didn't care.

"I'm scared." I whispered into the receiver. "Tammy can get violent."

"But if you're calm with her, she'll relax." Amy insisted. "You've got to face your fears."

"I don't want to," My lip was quivering.

"Everyone has to, Mikayla! I got over my fear of the girl, and now it's your turn!"

I was lying on my bed, in my huge, yellow room, trying not to cry. Amy was trying to make me feel better about the next day, but it wasn't exactly working.

Tammy isn't exactly the kind of person who can just forgive and forget. When someone does something to her, she holds it against that person for years. She knew how to turn everyone against you.

"I have to go," I sighed. "It's my turn to watch Ashley, and you know how she can get." I hung up.

The next day was the worst day of my whole life. As soon as I came downstairs for breakfast, I was sent right back upstairs to put together a gift basket for the devil.

I couldn't actually find any baskets, so I just grabbed the purple basket that I had thrown at Tammy.

I walked into the bathroom, and rinsed _some _of the mud out. I made sure to leave a few drops in.

I couldn't really think of anything to put in it, either. It was too early to go buy something new, so I had to improvise with something of my own.

I went to my room and reached into my junk drawer. I pulled out the Justin Bieber: My World 2.0 CD that Amy had given me for my last birthday. I honestly didn't want it, and I didn't know any idiot who would. Justin Bieber was a freak, which was why this was a great present for a girl like Tammy.

I thought she also might like a book, so I slowly tip-toed to Ashley's room and very quietly, grabbed the first book I could find: "Counting with Elmo and Big Bird,"

I added that to the bucket.

I felt I needed one more thing. I remembered how Tammy loved perfumes, so I ran to my parents' room. I stared at my mom's dresser, but couldn't find any perfume. So I snatched one of my dad's cologne bottles from his dresser, and added that to the bucket of presents.

I knew mo would force me to make a card, so I grabbed a piece of construction paper, and folded it in half. One the front, I drew a bunny eating a carrot that was saying: "I'm sorry,"

But on the inside, I drew a rabid bunny saying: "I hope you die!'

I just couldn't show the card to mom.

After I got dressed, I went back downstairs, and mom and I left.

I could tell she was disgusted with the bucket I'd used, but I didn't care. Tammy didn't deserve anything nice.

I sighed as we approached the front door of the Johnson's huge mansion. I rang the doorbell. Mrs. Johnson eventually came to the door. She smiled at my mom, but glared at me.

So, we went inside. I had never been inside Tammy's house before. There were cameras everywhere. There were huge, shiny, chandeliers hanging at the ceiling of every room. Fancy designs covered every wall.

It felt unsafe, especially because we were under video surveillance.

It was worst that Miss Clermont's office.

Mrs. Johnson led us up the velvet-carpeted staircase and up to Tammy's room, which was huge.

There was pink sparkle paper plastered on every inch of wall. There was a king-sized canopy bed, touching the back wall, where Tammy lay.

"M-Mom? Is that you?" Tammy was being totally pathetic.

Mrs. Johnson explained to the moron that we were there, and Tammy nodded. "Oh." She said, trying to sound happy.

I sighed once again. Mom gave me a little push.

Tammy sat up in her stupid bed. I knew I had to say it. I finally managed: "I'm…I'm….I'm…Sorry.."

"For what?" Mom whispered into my ear.

"I'm sorry for punching your nose." It had to be the hardest thing I had ever done.

"And…" Mom wanted me to keep going.

"and…for breaking it,"

"and…"

"and…I want you to have this gift basket." I handed her the bucket, mud dripping down the sides.

Tammy gave me an odd look. "Um…Thanks." She said. She pawed through it, seeing what I had sacrificed for her.

"OO! A Justin Bieber CD! Thanks!" She actually seemed happy and nice!

Mom smiled at me. Tammy kept going.

She pulled out the cologne. She gave me a very weird look and said: "Um…thank you." Mom wiped the smile off her face.

Tammy pulled out the last item: The Sesame Street book. She looked really offended.

"Do you think I'm dumb or something?" She snapped at me.

I gulped, but decided to be brave, just as Amy had instructed.

"Why yes, yes I do." I said, and casually left.


	8. More Trouble

_**Chapter 8: More Trouble**_

When I got home, I raced into my room and locked the door. I pounced on the bed, trying to prepare for what would come when my mom came home.

I couldn't help but laugh about my outburst. It was so funny how I had actually said I thought she was dumb!

Moments later, I heard scary footsteps coming up the stairs. My heart was pounding.

"OPEN THE DOOR!" Mom called, trying to open it herself. "NOW!"

I ignored her. "NO!"

"OPEN IT NOW!" She sounded vicious.

Again, I ignored her.

Eventually, the knocking stopped, and I was alone.

When I came down later, very sneakily, in order to avoid my mom, I wanted lunch. So I went into the kitchen, where, sadly, I found my mom.

She told me I was grounded for another week.

I jogged back up to my room, trying to entertain myself.

I knew the next week would me miserable.


	9. Back At School

_**Chapter 9: Back At School**_

The next week, I had to go back to school. I had a whole lot of work to make up, and not a lot of time to do it.

I guess that's what happens when you get suspended.

Anyways, Tammy's nose seemed to be, for the most part, healed. Of course, that didn't mean she liked me. She, and all her friends, absolutely hated me. There was nothing I could do about it.

But I still had to do the project with her. In fact, she actually had to come to my house that day. The same thing happened: I was typing on my computer, she was sitting on my beanbag chair, eating popcorn, and watching me.

It wasn't fair. I was doing all the work on this dumb assignment, and yet, Tammy would be getting credit for it as well.

In fact, my life was just unfair. This girl is snotty all the time and gets away with it. I do ONE bad thing, just one, and get caught! I was grounded, in my room, with nothing to do.

I tried being nice to her. I gave her presents, but of course, the snot didn't appreciate it. How lame.

I knew I had to do something about my predicament. I wanted to talk to someone very badly. But if I talked to m y parents, they'd just say: "Oh, too bad, you'll just have to deal with it and hope for better luck next time."

If I talked to Paige, she'd just smile and laugh.

If I talked to Kyle or Zack, they wouldn't even hear me.

And if I talked to Ashley, she's just stare and say: "Goo goo?"

I finally settled on talking to Mrs. Brown. I'd tell her that Tammy was not putting any effort of her own into our essay and that I wanted a different partner.

The next day, I was extremely nervous. But I knew I had to just talk to Mrs. Brown and have the issue resolved before the assignment was due.

I very slowly walked up to Mrs. Brown after the school day was over. I had practiced my speech over and over again in my head.

"Mrs. Brown," I would say. "Tammy is not helping with our project whatsoever, and I don't think it's fair."

Mrs. Brown saw me coming and said: "Well, hello, Mikayla. Can I help you?"

I froze. Was I really doing it? For a second, I felt like an idiot. Why couldn't I fix the problem by myself?  
"Um…" I hesitated, but knew that there wasn't anything else I could do. "Mrs. Brown, I can't do the project!" I blurted out.

Mrs. Brown looked at me for a minute. "And why not?" She questioned.

I felt like a moron for just saying something like that. "Tammy won't help, and I'm not going to do it by myself and let her get credit."

Mrs. Brown agreed to talk to Tammy about the situation. I thanked her, and ran to my bus.


	10. A Pleasant Surprise

_**Chapter 10: A Pleasant Surprise**_

The project was due soon, and I had almost nothing done.

When I got home from school that day, the day I had talked to Mrs. Brown, I thought. I thought about how, when I talked to my teacher, she looked like she was trying not to laugh.

I thought about how she, most likely, wouldn't do anything about Tammy.

And I thought about how unfair my life was. I was no longer grounded, but I had probably lost my mom's trust forever.

Paige hated me.

Amy was now my only best friend.

I was just full of hatred. I hated Mrs. Brown, for coming up with such a dumb idea for a project. I hated Tammy, for being the brat that she was. I hated Paige for getting me in trouble. But most of all, I hated Mr. And Mrs. Johnson for not putting Tammy up for adoption.

My life had been practically perfect before this assignment, and now it was ruined.

I realized, then, that I had to stop feeling sorry for myself. Moping around wasn't going to make my problems vanish.

I decided to work on the report. I turned on my computer and opened up my document on Microsoft Word, and starting typing fascinating Maryland facts.

"Maryland is located on the east coast near Pennsylvania and Delaware…" I continued tapping away on the keyboard when there was a knock on my door.

"Who is it?" I asked as I kept typing.

To my surprise, the response I got was: "Tammy."

My fingers stopped. Was it true? Had Tammy actually volunteered to come over?  
She had.

"Come in," I replied happily as Tammy opened my bedroom door. I turned to face her.

She walked in. "Oh, I see you're working on our report,"

"Yeah," I replied casually. "Since I knew you wouldn't."

Tammy didn't seem to mind. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that."

"Are you really?" I asked, pleasantly surprised. Then I remembered: this was Tammy. "Did your mom send you over? Or Mrs. Brown?" I questioned.

Tammy looked insulted that time. "No, I honestly am sorry."

It was a miracle.

"Let's get working on this thing!" Tammy said excitedly.

And we did.


	11. Betrayal

_**Chapter 11: A Betrayal**_

Before I knew it, it was May 1st, the due date of my project. Tammy had taken it home with her after a week of hard work at my house.

It was around noon when Mrs. Brown started collecting them. She stopped at each desk, one by one, grading book in her arms, to either take a project, or to hear a kid say: "My partner has it."

After she stopped at each desk, she would make a mark in her book with a red pen.

When the teacher eventually got to my desk, she asked: "Mikayla, do you have your project?"

"My partner Tammy has it." I replied.

Both Mrs. Brown and I looked at Tammy across the room. "Do you have it, Tammy?" Mrs. Brown asked.

Tammy had an odd look on her face as she shook her head.

My jaw dropped. I stared at Tammy, in shock, as my eyes filled with tears.

I couldn't believe it. For the past week, Tammy had been the kindest girl in the whole world. She had changed, and I thought she was my friend.

I felt betrayed; used.

And the sad part was that I had done a huge part of the report. Heck, I did almost all of it. I had trusted Tammy to bring it to school.

Never again will that happen.

"Well girls, I'll just have to give you a zero," Mrs. Brown established, and wrote it in her grade book to make it official. Her words felt as if she had stabbed me with a knife. A sharp knife.

I was devastated. "NO! Please!" I begged. "Can't we bring it tomorrow?"  
"No," Mrs. Brown said firmly. "It wouldn't be fair to the rest of the class."

I couldn't help it. Tears poured from my eyes like a waterfall.

I stared at Tammy with my blotchy red eyes. I stood from my seat and pointed at her. "YOU!" I yelled. "This is all YOUR fault!" My voice was getting louder and louder as I cried and cried.

I walked to her desk. I heard people giggling, but I didn't care. My social studies grade plummeted to a sixty-two percent because of this girl, and no one seemed to care but me.

I slammed my fist on the desk. "You were supposed to bring it! Why didn't you?" I demanded.

Tammy looked like she was going to throw up, she was so scared. But before she could say anything (or blow chunks), we heard an even louder voice.

"MIKAYLA! To the office! NOW!" The voice belonged to none other than Mrs. Brown.

I froze, suddenly realizing that we were still in class.

My heart was pounding as I exited the room, Mrs. Brown glaring at me, and walked toward Miss Clermont's office.


	12. Dealing with the PrincipalAgain

_**Chapter 12: Dealing with the Principal (Again)**_

I couldn't believe what I had done. How humiliating! I kept on getting myself into more and more trouble.

I found myself back in the ugly, beige office at the left corner of the brick building.

Miss Clermont was giving me the evil eye as she paced back and forth behind her bulky brown desk.

"Why?" She asked in a low, scary voice. A voice that sounded like Darth Vader. "Why do you do the things you do?"

I tried not to laugh at this, although it really was creepy. "Um…I don't know."

"If you do not know, then I'll just have to suspend you again until you can tell me,"

She was really starting to scare me, but I managed to stay calm. "I was just mad at Tammy," I said.

"And what did Tammy do to upset you?" She sounded like a therapist now.

"She forgot our project, and now I'm failing class because of it," I answered.

"Very well," She said with a British accent. "Carry on. Get to class. Try not to get into any more trouble.

I ran out of that place as fast as I could.

They really need to hire someone new.


	13. A Sincere Apology

**Chapter 13: A Sincere Apology**

My parents freaked out when they heard about the grade Mrs. Brown had given me. I was grounded for another week. The end of my fifth-grade career was slowly approaching. By the last week of school, I had managed to bring my grade up to a C minus. My parents said that it would have to do, but to try harder next time.

I was still incredibly furious with Tammy. I knew she had totally planned the stunt. She never cared about her grades, and yet, she knew that I cared about mine.

It was the last day of school, though, when I thought differently. I was cleaning out my desk, when Tammy walked up to me. At first, neither of us said anything.

"Look," She started. "I feel terrible about the whole thing and I know you probably don't believe me. But I truly am sorry."

And I could tell that she really did mean it.

"No," I said reluctantly. I sighed. "I'm sorry. I completely overreacted, and I feel really bad about it."

We both forgave each other. Tammy even surprised me by saying: "Are we friends?"

I couldn't believe it. Tammy Johnson really wanted to be my friend. I didn't know what to say, so I just nodded. The bell rang, and the school year had officially ended. Summer had finally arrived, and it felt so much better knowing that Tammy was not an enemy, but a friend.

I guess it wasn't such a bad year after all.


End file.
